Shirur leaders crib about nomination

Say their preparations for candidature have been overlooked by party brass

Despite loud claims to the contrary, cracks in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) became visible in the first campaign rallies held for Shirur and Maval on Sunday. The rallies had been organised to announce the candidature of Pawar family scion Parth Pawar for Maval and new entrant from Shiv Sena Amol Kolhe for Shirur.

While speaking at the rally, some party leaders made it evident that their preparations for candidature were not taken into consideration by party supremo Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar took the rally as an opportunity to claim that the suggestion to destroy terrorist camps following the Pulwama attack had been his.

NCP inducted Kolhe into the party just a few days before the election announcement. This was done despite the fact that the party had asked loyalist Vilas Lande to prepare for the elections. After the announcement of Kolhe’s candidature, Lande’s group had put up posters announcing that they will ensure the defeat of Kolhe because the loyalist had been denied. Along with Lande, Mangaldas Bandal was also visibly upset for being denied candidature.

It was this disappointment that found voice in the Khed rally on Sunday. Speaking at the rally, Bandal said, “We too were preparing for candidature. We had travelled across the constituency and covered it extensively. Our only mistake was that we didn’t inform Sharad and Ajit Pawar about this. But I have never worked against the party stand and will never do it. However, bad the animal is it never harms the child. Please take care of Kolhe. Party workers are saying that we will ensure his defeat. But this needs to stop.”

Lande said, “I was interested in contesting but now I am going to work for the candidate that the party has decided. Mangaldas Bandal now we need to work together. Differences have been set aside. I am supporting Amol Kolhe because of Sharad Pawar.”

The results of the Khed rally were seen in the Maval rally where the party leaders took the stage to appeal to workers to come together. The rally, which marked the start of the campaign for Ajit Pawar’s son Parth, saw the presence of all the party leaders. While Parth in his maiden speech at the rally appealed to workers to vote for him and ended his speech quickly, emotional appeals were made by other leaders for ensuring his victory.

Speaking in the rally Ajit Pawar said, “Chowkidar hi chor hai, because they cannot protect the Rafale files which are important documents. We need to defeat such tendency and hence this election is important. Don’t take two different stands, don’t work for one candidate in the night and other through the day and don’t do fixing. If they come back we never know whether we will be allowed to conduct elections again. Don’t take this seriously but this this is going to be adecisive election.”

Pawar takes credit for Balakot

Speaking in both the rallies, party supremo Sharad Pawar chose to criticise Prime Minister and also ended up saying that Balakot strike was his suggestion. Speaking in the Khed rally, he said “A meeting was called for discussing the security concerns after the Pulwama strike. Since I have served defence minister, I was asked to suggest what to do to which I asked them to attack the terrorist camps.”

While referring to the same meeting in Maval rally, Pawar criticised Prime Minister for politicising the strike. He said, “Jawans were killed. Prime Minister called all-party meeting to discuss this. But when we went for the meeting, neither was he nor was defence minister present. Prime Minister was busy campaigning in Maharashtra. He says that he has 56 inch chest. But cannot protect simple Rafale documents despite this. What is the use of this strength then?”